Friend & Colleague GANORML’s Dave Clark named “HIGH TIMES Freedom Fighter”

Dave is a former Gwinnett Magistrate Court judge. It's in fact rare you won't find a judge that privately (ie outside the confines of the judicial elections in GA) doesn't support legalization of not only marijuana, but most drugs, if not all.



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GANORML’s Dave Clark named “HIGH TIMES Freedom Fighter”
November 19, 2010 in Who we are, How to Join | 1 comment
Just found out I was featured in High Times December issue as Freedom Fighter of theMonth for my efforts with NORML and my book “101 Ways to Beat a Marijuana Charge in Georgia.” I am honored to support NORML, and all efforts to bring sanity to US cannabis regulation.
I have been representing Georgia citizens charged with crimes for over 20 years now. IMHO it is a giant waste of time to prosecute recreational drug users. I empathize with those who have lost loved ones to drug overdoses and associated diseases. I empathize with victims of drug biz violence, including police officers and those who volunteered for illegal military actions. Those stories are really tragic. But you have to look at the grand scheme of things and figure out the best way to deal with the issue. . .

People have been intoxicating themselves for fun since the dawn of time. Even animals do it. You can’t stop it. We have tried to stop people from drinking and it didn’t work. In fact, using the criminal justice system to fight alcoholism turned out to cause more problems than the booze itself.
The reason people self-medicate with drugs and alcohol is not because they are immoral and mean other people harm. So it’s not a criminal act with a mens rea or criminal intent. Drugs and alcohol will be abused for as long as mankind walks the earth and it is, and always will be, a public health issue.
And what’s the best way to address public health issues? First, do no harm.
Second, treat sick people. Third, educate in the interest of prevention.
There is a well-thought out and proven successful alternative to the war on drugs. It’s called “harm reduction.” I, along with most other cannabis reform activists, do not want more people to abuse anydrug. What we want is a sane approach to managing the irrepressible human instinct toward recreational intoxication. What we want is a hands-off approach to recreational use, and a compassionate approach toward those who are suffering because of abuse or addiction. They are not criminals, they are human beings, weakened by the slings and arrows of this weary world, who let a rational means of escape overtake their judgment.
If you’ve ever binged on chocolate, if you drink too much coffee, if you are overweight, if you text too much, watch porn a lot, vegged in front of the tube more than you should, or if you have EVER gotten drunk, then don’t you DARE judge my potheads.
And ask yourself, do you belong in jail for your minor sin? You might not be in jail, but you’re in a glass house – so don’t throw stones at stoners.